Multi-source journal content integration systems and methods

ABSTRACT

The paper discloses a system including a multi-source content acquisition engine configured to provide an instruction to launch an editor window to display a set of selectable content from user-generated content generated by a plurality of remote sources and stored in a content datastore. The system includes a multi-source content selection configured to identify a set of selected content from the set of selectable content. The system includes an integrated content arrangement engine configured to arrange the set of selected content into a multi-sourced journal content sequence. The system includes a layer integration engine configured to apply a layer from the layer datastore to a portion of the multi-sourced journal content sequence. The system includes a multi-source content launch engine configured to provide an instruction to display an integrated multi-sourced journal content sequence including the multi-sourced journal content sequence and the layer in the editor window.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims benefit of: U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/468,725 filed Mar. 29, 2011 and entitled “MediaManagement;” U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/564,256filed Nov. 28, 2011 and entitled “Local Timeline Editing for OnlineContent Editing;” U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.61/564,257 filed Nov. 28, 2011 and entitled “Multi-Layer TimelineContent Compilation Systems and Methods;” and U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/564,261 filed Nov. 28, 2011 and entitled“Systems and Methods for Low Bandwidth Consumption Online ContentEditing;” all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Journalists have long captured critical narratives and personalhistories that would otherwise be lost in time. Embedded in the modernconsciousness are powerful images and videos of warzones, nonviolent andviolent protests, and political milestones. “Personal journalists,” suchas personal photographers and videographers, have similarly capturedbirths, weddings, rites of passage, and the life histories of familiesand communities.

Journalists conventionally went to the field with expensive and bulkyequipment. A journalist would then trek back to an editing studio sothat a specialized team of editors could identify publication-worthymaterial, incorporate special effects and incorporate narrativeelements, either using physical editing equipment or locally installedediting systems. Unfortunately, physical editing systems were bulky,were expensive, and required access to film studios. Moreover, locallyinstalled editing systems could not keep pace with the constant flow ofinformation over sources such as the Internet, where images, video, andcrucial perspectives of an event can be available in real-time from aplethora of sources. Thus, conventional journalism was unnecessarilyslow and expensive. Conventional journalism generated stale messagesproduced by the centralized information gathering of a few majorstudios.

The foregoing examples of film editing systems illustrative and are notexclusive. Those of skill in the art can discern other limitations ofthe art after reading the specification and studying the drawings.

SUMMARY

The present application discloses systems and methods of integratingmulti-source journal content compilations. The disclosed systems andmethods allow content producers to access high-quality editing tools andto chronicle images, video, and perspectives of an event in real-timefrom a plethora of sources, without entering film studios and withoutinstalling production tools on a local computer. The disclosed systemsand methods are portable, avoid specialized or high-performancecomputers, keep pace with the constant flow of information over sourcessuch as the Internet, and ultimately, democratize journalism.

Systems can include a content datastore, a layer datastore, amulti-source content acquisition engine coupled to the contentdatastore; a multi-source content selection engine coupled to themulti-source content acquisition engine; an integrated contentarrangement engine coupled to the multi-source content selection engine;a layer integration engine coupled to the layer datastore and to theintegrated content arrangement engine; and a multi-source content launchengine coupled to the layer integration engine.

In operation, the multi-source content acquisition engine provides aninstruction to launch an editor window to display a set of selectablecontent from user-generated content generated by a plurality of remotesources and stored in the content datastore. In operation, themulti-source content selection engine identifies a set of selectedcontent from the set of selectable content.

In operation, the integrated content arrangement engine arranges the setof selected content into a multi-sourced journal content sequence. Inoperation, the layer integration engine applies a layer from the layerdatastore to a portion of the multi-sourced journal content sequence. Inoperation, the multi-source content launch engine provides aninstruction to display an integrated multi-sourced journal contentsequence including the multi-sourced journal content sequence and thelayer in the editor window.

Systems can include a multi-source channel publication engine coupled tothe layer integration engine. In operation, the multi-source channelpublication engine creates a multi-source content channel comprising theintegrated multi-sourced journal content sequence.

Systems can include a multi-source content search engine coupled to thecontent datastore and the multi-source content acquisition engine. Inoperation, the multi-source content search engine receives a requestfrom the multi-source content acquisition engine to search the contentdatastore for subject-specific content, and provides thesubject-specific content to the multi-source content acquisition engine.

Systems can include a collaborative edit aggregation engine coupled tothe layer datastore and the layer integration engine. In operation, thecollaborative edit aggregation engine provides to the layer integrationengine a plurality of instructions comprising: a first instruction froma first remote source to apply a first layer from the layer datastore tothe portion of the multi-sourced journal content sequence, and a secondinstruction from a second remote source to apply a second layer from thelayer datastore to the portion of the multi-sourced journal contentsequence.

Systems can include a collaborative edit launch engine coupled to themulti-source content acquisition engine. In operation, the collaborativeedit launch engine: receives the instruction to launch the editor windowfrom the multi-source content acquisition engine, and launches a firsteditor window on a first edit client and a second editor window on asecond edit client based on the instruction to launch the editor window.

Systems can include a collaborative layer placement engine coupled tothe layer integration engine. In operation, the collaborative layerplacement engine provides to the layer integration engine a first layerreceived from a first editor window and a second layer received from asecond editor window.

Systems can include a journalism sourcing engine coupled to the contentdatastore. In operation, the journalism sourcing engine provides to thecontent datastore: first user-generated coverage of an event obtainedfrom a first citizen journalist, and second user-generated coverage ofthe event obtained from a second citizen journalist.

Systems can include a content scrapbooking engine coupled to the contentdatastore. In operation, the content scrapbooking engine can provide tothe content datastore user-generated social history content.

Methods can include: using a multi-source content acquisition engine toprovide an instruction to launch an editor window to display a set ofselectable content from user-generated content generated by a pluralityof remote sources and stored in a content datastore; configuring amulti-source content selection engine to identify a set of selectedcontent from the set of selectable content; using an integrated contentarrangement engine to arrange the set of selected content into amulti-sourced journal content sequence; using a layer integration engineto apply a layer from the layer datastore to a portion of themulti-sourced journal content sequence; and providing an instruction todisplay, using a multi-source content launch engine, an integratedmulti-sourced journal content sequence including the multi-sourcedjournal content sequence and the layer in the editor window.

Methods can include using a multi-source channel publication engine tocreate a multi-sourced content channel comprising the integratedmulti-sourced journal content sequence.

Methods can include using a multi-source content search engine toreceive a request from the multi-source content selection engine tosearch the content datastore for subject-specific content. Methods canalso include using the multi-source content search engine to provide thesubject-specific content to the multi-source content selection engine.

Methods can include using a collaborate edit aggregation engine toprovide to the layer integration engine a plurality of instructionscomprising: a first instruction from a first remote source to apply afirst layer from the layer datastore to the portion of the multi-sourcedjournal content sequence, and a second instruction from a second remotesource to apply a second layer from the layer datastore to the portionof the multi-sourced journal content sequence.

Methods can include using a collaborative edit launch engine to: receivethe instruction to launch the editor window from the multi-sourcecontent acquisition engine, and to launch a first editor window on afirst edit client and a second editor window on a second edit clientbased on the instruction to launch the editor window.

Methods can include using a collaborative layer placement engine toprovide to the layer integration engine a first layer received from afirst editor window and a second layer received from a second editorwindow.

Methods can include using a journalism sourcing engine to provide to thecontent datastore: first user-generated coverage of an event obtainedfrom a first citizen journalist, and second user-generated coverage ofthe event obtained from a second citizen journalist.

Method can include using a content scrapbooking engine to provide to thecontent datastore user-generated social history content.

Systems can include: means for using a multi-source content acquisitionengine to provide an instruction to launch an editor window to display aset of selectable content from user-generated content generated by aplurality of remote sources and stored in a content datastore; means forconfiguring a multi-source content selection engine to identify a set ofselected content from the set of selectable content; means for using anintegrated content arrangement engine to arrange the set of selectedcontent into a multi-sourced journal content sequence; means for using alayer integration engine to apply a layer from the layer datastore to aportion of the multi-sourced journal content sequence; and means forproviding an instruction to display, using a multi-source content launchengine, an integrated multi-sourced journal content sequence includingthe multi-sourced journal content sequence and the layer in the editorwindow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a diagram of an example of a network environment.

FIG. 2 shows a diagram of an example of a multi-source journal contentintegration server.

FIG. 3 shows a diagram of an example of a multi-source journal contentintegration client.

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of an example of a method for providingjournalism or video scrapbooking content.

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of an example of a method for integrating amulti-source journal content compilation.

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of an example of a method for integrating amulti-source journal content compilation using multiple remote editingsources.

FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of an example of a method for integrating amulti-source journal content compilation using multiple editing windows.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a computer.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a multi-sourced journal content sequenceclient web browser screenshot.

FIG. 10 shows a multi-sourced journal content sequence client webbrowser screenshot.

FIG. 11 shows a multi-sourced journal content sequence client webbrowser screenshot.

FIG. 12 shows a multi-sourced journal content sequence client webbrowser screenshot.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This paper describes techniques that those of skill in the art canimplement in numerous ways. For instance, those of skill in the art canimplement the techniques described herein using a process, an apparatus,a system, a composition of matter, a computer program product embodiedon a computer readable storage medium, and/or a processor, such as aprocessor configured to execute instructions stored on and/or providedby a memory coupled to the processor. Unless stated otherwise, acomponent such as a processor or a memory described as being configuredto perform a task may be implemented as a general component that isconfigured to perform the task at a given time or a specific componentthat is manufactured to perform the task. As used herein, the term‘processor’ refers to one or more devices, circuits, and/or processingcores configured to process data, such as computer program instructions.

FIG. 1 shows a diagram of an example of a network environment 100. Inthe example of FIG. 1, the network environment 100 can include amulti-source journal content integration server 102, a network 104, amulti-source journal content integration client 106, and a multi-sourcejournal content integration client 108. In the example of FIG. 1, thenetwork 104 connects to each of the multi-source journal contentintegration server 102, the multi-source journal content integrationclient 106, and the multi-source journal content integration client 108.

In the example of FIG. 1, the multi-source journal content integrationserver 102 can provide services to integrate multi-sourced content, suchas journal content. As used in this paper, multi-sourced content isaudio, video, still pictures, or other content generated by a pluralityof content generators. A content generator is typically an individual,but can also be a group, a business entity, or other entity, thatcreates content using a device like a camera, a video camera, anelectronic device (such as a mobile phone or other electronic device),or other device. In some embodiments, the content generator's device cancomprise an electronic scanner used to capture a painting or drawing.The content generator's device can also include an electronic devicethat captures content using an input device (e.g., a computer thatcaptures a user's gestures with a mouse or touch screen). In variousembodiments, the content generator can be the entity having creativerights (e.g., an assignee or a licensee) of content. As a plurality ofcontent generators are creating the content integrated by themulti-source journal content integration server 102, the clips beingintegrated are likely to reflect a variety of perspectives about a givenevent, place, or occurrence, whether or not the respective contentgenerators share a unified ideology or mission.

As used in this paper, journal content is content related to theinvestigation or reporting of places, events, occurrences, and otherthings. Journal content can include, for instance, still images, audio,video, media, and other content related to covering government,business, societal occurrences, cultural events, arts, entertainment,and other topics. Journal content can involve reporting on a variety oflevels.

In the example of FIG. 1, the journal content can include translatingthe actions of policy makers or decision-makers into a format thatlaypeople and/or the general public can comprehend. More specifically,the journal content can involve chronicling the decisionmaking processunderlying an event (such as a Congressional vote on a topic, a nearbyprotest or rally, or even a dogshow) and translating the decisionmakingprocess into a format that laypeople can understand. Distilling thedecisionmaking process of an event can involve capturing importantelements of the event to construct a narrative of the processes thatwent into creating the event. In some embodiments, the journal contentcan also include creating a forum to facilitate debate, deliberation,and decision on issues of public or private concern. For example, thejournal content can include facilitating a multitude of inputs on agiven topic and allowing content generators or others to have a degreeof editorial control over a subsequent narrative of the topic. Thus, insome embodiments, the journal content can allow content generators orcontent generators to wholly or partially create a portion of thenarrative of the topic. In various embodiments, the journal content caninclude a report of an event that occurred or is occurring. For example,the journal content can include raw footage in the form of still images,audio, video, or media about an event such as an important politicalvote, a business's decision, or a protest.

In the example of FIG. 1, the multi-sourced journal content can reflecta variety of observations and perspectives about an event and need notbe confined to one editorial or creative vision. For example,multi-sourced journal content of a protest can include raw footage ofprotest participants who have released a first-person perspective of theprotest. However, multi-sourced journal content of the protest need notbe confined to a protestor's vision of the event. Rather, themulti-sourced journal content of the protest can include: raw footagefrom opponents of the protest, footage from police cameras used tocapture illegal acts by those nearby, footage from third-party observers(like nearby residents) who are neutral to the protest's message, andprofessional footage from photojournalists, videographers, and otherswho wish to sell content to editors. As this example illustrates, themulti-sourced journal content can accommodate a variety of visions aboutan event. Footage from protestors and protest opponents may be focusedon the merits of the message of the protest, while footage from lawenforcement may be focused on whether participants were behavingillegally or inappropriately. Footage from third parties may be focusedon capturing the effects of the protest on the neighborhood, whilefootage from professionals may be focused on capturing highly composedattributes of the protest.

In the example of FIG. 1, the multi-source journal content integrationserver 102 can incorporate a collaborative marketplace to facilitateexchange of specific content clips of the multi-sourced journal content.The collaborative marketplace may or may not be based on a royalty-basedsystem of exchange. In a royalty-based system of exchange, a contentgenerator can receive a royalty for granting permission to use an itemof content. In this example, the specific content clips of themulti-sourced journal content can include rights management features, asdiscussed more thoroughly below. The collaborative marketplace cantherefore create incentives for content generators to share and monetizegenerated content without completely and irreversibly releasing thecontent into the public domain.

In the example of FIG. 1, the multi-source journal content integrationserver 102 can include one or more engines. As used in this paper, an“engine” includes a dedicated or shared processor and, typically,firmware or software modules that are executed by the processor.Depending upon implementation-specific or other considerations, anengine can be centralized or its functionality distributed. An engineincludes special purpose hardware, firmware, or software embodied in acomputer-readable medium for execution by the processor. As used in thispaper, a computer-readable medium is intended to include all mediumsthat are statutory (e.g., in the United States, under 35 U.S.C. §101),and to specifically exclude all mediums that are non-statutory in natureto the extent that the exclusion is necessary for a claim that includesthe computer-readable medium to be valid. Known statutorycomputer-readable mediums include hardware (e.g., registers, randomaccess memory (RAM), non-volatile (NV) storage, to name a few), but mayor may not be limited to hardware.

In the example of FIG. 1, the multi-source journal content integrationserver 102 can include an operating system. An operating system is a setof programs that manage computer hardware resources, and provides commonservices for application software. The operating system enables anapplication to run on a computer, whereas only applications that areself-booting can generally run on a computer that does not have anoperating system. Operating systems are found in almost any device thatincludes a computer (e.g., cellular phones, video game consoles, webservers, etc.). Examples of popular modern operating systems are Linux,Android, iOS, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows®. Embedded operatingsystems are designed to operate on small machines like PDAs with lessautonomy (Windows CE and Minix 3 are some examples of embedded operatingsystems). Operating systems can be distributed, which makes a group ofindependent computers act in some respects like a single computer.Operating systems often include a kernel, which controls low-levelprocesses that most users cannot see (e.g., how memory is read andwritten, the order in which processes are executed, how information isreceived and sent by I/O devices, and devices how to interpretinformation received from networks). Operating systems often include auser interface that interacts with a user directly to enable control anduse of programs. The user interface can be graphical with icons and adesktop or textual with a command line. Application programminginterfaces (APIs) provide services and code libraries. Which featuresare considered part of the operating system is defined differently invarious operating systems, but all of the components are treated as partof the operating system in this paper for illustrative convenience.

In the example of FIG. 1, the multi-source journal content integrationserver 102 can include one or more datastores that hold content, editinglayers, and/or other data. A datastore can be implemented, for example,as software embodied in a physical computer-readable medium on ageneral- or specific-purpose machine, in firmware, in hardware, in acombination thereof, or in an applicable known or convenient device orsystem. Datastores in this paper are intended to include anyorganization of data, including tables, comma-separated values (CSV)files, traditional databases (e.g., SQL), or other applicable known orconvenient organizational formats. Datastore-associated components, suchas database interfaces, can be considered “part of” a datastore, part ofsome other system component, or a combination thereof, though thephysical location and other characteristics of datastore-associatedcomponents is not critical for an understanding of the techniquesdescribed in this paper.

Datastores can include data structures. As used in this paper, a datastructure is associated with a particular way of storing and organizingdata in a computer so that it can be used efficiently within a givencontext. Data structures are generally based on the ability of acomputer to fetch and store data at any place in its memory, specifiedby an address, a bit string that can be itself stored in memory andmanipulated by the program. Thus some data structures are based oncomputing the addresses of data items with arithmetic operations; whileother data structures are based on storing addresses of data itemswithin the structure itself. Many data structures use both principles,sometimes combined in non-trivial ways. The implementation of a datastructure usually entails writing a set of procedures that create andmanipulate instances of that structure.

In the example of FIG. 1, the multi-source journal content integrationserver 102 can be compatible with a cloud based computing system. Asused in this paper, a cloud based computing system is a system thatprovides computing resources, software, and/or information to clientdevices by maintaining centralized services and resources that theclient devices can access over a communication interface, such as anetwork. The cloud based computing system can involve a subscription forservices or use a utility pricing model. Users can access the protocolsof the cloud based computing system through a web browser or othercontainer application located on their client device.

In the example of FIG. 1, one or more of the engines in the multi-sourcejournal content integration server 102 can include cloud-based engines.A cloud-based engine is an engine that can run applications and/orfunctionalities using a cloud-based computing system. All or portions ofthe applications and/or functionalities can be distributed acrossmultiple computing devices, and need not be restricted to only onecomputing device. In some embodiments, the cloud-based engines canexecute functionalities and/or modules that end users access through aweb browser or container application without having the functionalitiesand/or modules installed locally on the end-users' computing devices. Inthe example of FIG. 1, one or more of the datastores in the multi-sourcejournal content integration server 102 can be cloud-based datastores. Acloud-based datastore is a datastore compatible with a cloud-basedcomputing system.

For instance, the multi-source journal content integration server 102can host a website providing multi-sourced journal content integrationand/or editing services. The website can access engines and datastoresthat provide a user with tools to edit the content online. The enginesin the multi-source journal content integration server 102 can executeon the multi-source journal content integration server 102 and canprovide a cloud-based interface for display on a host application, suchas a web browser on one or more of the multi-sourced journal contentintegration client 106 and the multi-sourced journal content integrationclient 108.

In various embodiments, the datastores in the multi-source journalcontent integration server 102 can include datastores, distributedacross multiple computing devices or otherwise, that provide content,editing layers, and/or other data that applications and/or end users canaccess through a web browser or container application without having thefunctionalities and/or modules installed locally on the end-users'computing devices.

In some embodiments, an end-user need not purchase a proprietaryoperating system or install expensive journal content integration and/orediting software, as long as the user has access to a web browser orcontainer application that can access the engines and datastores in themulti-source journal content integration server 102.

A user also need not purchase expensive and high-performance computingequipment or memory. Beneficially, a user need not purchase extensivecontent editing packages, such as high-quality editing-effects packagesas editing-effects packages would be stored and executed in themulti-source journal content integration server 102. Users need notworry about software becoming obsolete because a remote onlineapplication can be used to run any executable file, regardless ofwhether the file is currently executable on the user's device; legacyplatforms can run on any device. Accordingly, one or more of the enginesin the multi-source journal content integration server 102 can supportapplications and/or functionalities that end-users can access through acontainer (such as a web browser) without local installation.

In the example of FIG. 1, the network 104 can include a computernetwork. The network 104 can include communication channels to connectserver resources and information in the multi-source journal contentintegration server 102 with client resources and information in themulti-source journal content integration clients 106 and 108. In theexample of FIG. 1, the network 104 can be implemented as a personal areanetwork (PAN), a local area network (LAN), a home network, a storagearea network (SAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), an enterprisenetwork such as an enterprise private network, a virtual network such asa virtual private network (VPN), or other network. One network ofparticular interest for an online application service is the World WideWeb (“the Web”), which is one of the services running on the Internet.The Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via theInternet. With a web browser, one can view web pages that can containtext, images, videos, and other multimedia and navigate between the webpages via hyperlinks. The network 104 can serve to connect peoplelocated around a common area, such as a school, workplace, orneighborhood. The network 104 can also connect people belonging to acommon organization, such as a workplace. Portions of the network 104can be secure and other portions of the network 104 need not be secure.

In the example of FIG. 1, the network 104 can use a variety of physicalor other media to connect the multi-source journal content integrationserver 102 with the multi-source journal content integration clients 106and 108. For instance, the network 104 can connect the multi-sourcejournal content integration server 102 with one or more of themulti-source journal content integration clients 106 and 108 using somecombination of wired technologies, such as twisted pair wire cabling,coaxial cabling, optical fiber cabling, or other cabling.

In the example of FIG. 1, the network 104 can also use some combinationof wireless technologies. Wireless networks will typically include aninternetworking unit (IWU) that interconnects wireless devices on therelevant one of the wireless networks with another network, such as awired LAN. The IWU is sometimes referred to as a wireless access point(WAP). In the IEEE 802.11 standard, a WAP is also defined as a station.Thus, a station can be a non-WAP station or a WAP station. In a cellularnetwork, the WAP is often referred to as a base station. Wirelessnetworks can be implemented using any applicable technology, which candiffer by network type or in other ways. The wireless networks can be ofany appropriate size (e.g., metropolitan area network (MAN), personalarea network (PAN), etc.). Broadband wireless MANs may or may not becompliant with IEEE 802.16, which is incorporated by reference. WirelessPANs may or may not be compliant with IEEE 802.15, which is incorporatedby reference. The wireless networks 2404 can be identifiable by networktype (e.g., 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi), service provider, WAP/base stationidentifier (e.g., Wi-Fi SSID, base station and sector ID), geographiclocation, or other identification criteria. The wireless networks may ormay not be coupled together via an intermediate network. Theintermediate network can include practically any type of communicationsnetwork, such as, by way of example but not limitation, the Internet, apublic switched telephone network (PSTN), or an infrastructure network(e.g., private LAN). The term “Internet” as used herein refers to anetwork of networks which uses certain protocols, such as the TCP/IPprotocol, and possibly other protocols such as the hypertext transferprotocol (HTTP) for hypertext markup language (HTML) documents that makeup the World Wide Web (the web).

In the example of FIG. 1, one or more of the multi-source journalcontent integration clients 106 and 108 can include one or morecomputers, each of which can, in general, have an operating system andinclude datastores and engines. In this example, one or more of themulti-source journal content integration clients 106 and 108 can executevariable-layer content editing services inside a host application (i.e.,can execute a browser plug-in in a web browser). The browser plug-in canprovide an interface such as a graphical user interface (GUI) for a userto access the content editing services on the multi-source journalcontent integration server 102. The browser plug-in can include a GUI todisplay content and layers on the datastores in the multi-source journalcontent integration server 102. For instance, the browser plug-in canhave display capabilities like the capabilities provided by proprietarycommercially available plug-ins like Adobe® Flash Player, QuickTime®,and Microsoft Silverlight®. The browser plug-in can also include aninterface to execute functionalities on the engines in the multi-sourcejournal content integration server 102.

In the example of FIG. 1, a device on which the multi-source journalcontent integration clients 106 and 108 is implemented can beimplemented as a station. A station, as used herein, may be referred toas a device with a media access control (MAC) address and a physicallayer (PHY) interface to the wireless medium that comply with, e.g., theIEEE 802.11 standard. A station can be described as “IEEE802.11-compliant” when compliance with the IEEE 802.11 standard isintended to be explicit. (I.e., a device acts as described in at least aportion of the IEEE 802.11 standard.) One of ordinary skill in therelevant art would understand what the IEEE 802.11 standard comprisestoday and that the IEEE 802.11 standard can change over time, and wouldbe expected to apply techniques described in this paper in compliancewith future versions of the IEEE 802.11 standard if an applicable changeis made. IEEE Std 802.11™-2007 (Revision of IEEE Std 802.11-1999) isincorporated by reference. IEEE 802.11k-2008, IEEE 802.11n-2009, IEEE802.11p-2010, IEEE 802.11r-2008, IEEE 802.11w-2009, and IEEE802.11y-2008 are also incorporated by reference.

In alternative embodiments, one or more wireless devices may comply withsome other standard or no standard at all, and may have differentinterfaces to a wireless or other medium. It should be noted that notall standards refer to wireless devices as “stations,” but where theterm is used in this paper, it should be understood that an analogousunit will be present on all applicable wireless networks. Thus, use ofthe term “station” should not be construed as limiting the scope of anembodiment that describes wireless devices as stations to a standardthat explicitly uses the term, unless such a limitation is appropriatein the context of the discussion.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a multi-source journal content integrationserver 200. In the example of FIG. 2, the multi-source journal contentintegration server 200 can include one or more of: a content datastore202, a layer datastore 204, a content marketplace engine 206, ajournalism sourcing engine 208, a content scrapbooking engine 210, amulti-source content search engine 212, a multi-source contentacquisition engine 214, a collaborative edit launch engine 216, amulti-source content selection engine 218, an integrated contentarrangement engine 220, a collaborative edit aggregation engine 224, alayer integration engine 222, a collaborative layer placement engine226, a multi-source content launch engine 228, and a multi-sourcechannel publication engine 230.

In the example of FIG. 2, the content marketplace engine 206, thejournalism sourcing engine 208, the content scrapbooking engine 210, andthe multi-source content search engine 212 can each connect to thecontent datastore 202. The multi-source content acquisition engine 214can connect to each of the journalism sourcing engine 208, the contentscrapbooking engine 210, and the multi-source content search engine 212.The collaborative edit launch engine 216 can connect to the multi-sourcecontent acquisition engine 214. The multi-source content selectionengine 218 can connect to the collaborative edit launch engine 216. Theintegrated content arrangement engine 220 can connect to themulti-source content selection engine 218. In the example of FIG. 2, thelayer datastore 204 can connect to the collaborative edit aggregationengine 224. The layer integration engine 224 can connect to each of theintegrated content arrangement engine 220 and the collaborative layerplacement engine 226. The collaborative layer placement engine 226 canconnect to the collaborative edit aggregation engine 224. Further, inthe example of FIG. 2, each of the multi-source content launch engine228, and the multi-source channel publication engine 230 can connect tothe layer integration engine 222.

In the example of FIG. 2, the content datastore 202 stores content suchas audio, still images, video, media, or other content. In someembodiments, the content in the content datastore 202 can be stored inthe form of “clips,” each comprising a discrete file associated with aspecific scene, sound, or image that was captured. One or more of theclips can relate to the same scene, but in various embodiments, theclips can relate to different scenes or different perspectives of one ormore scenes. In this example, the content datastore 202 resides withinthe multi-source content journal integration server 200. However, insome embodiments, the content datastore 202 need not be within themulti-source content journal integration server 200 and may connect tothe multi-source content journal integration server 200 by acommunication interface such as a network connection. In variousembodiments, the content datastore 202 can also be distributed acrossmultiple devices. In some embodiments, the content datastore 202 canreside in cloud-based storage. Advantageously, distributing the contentdatastore 202 across multiple devices can accommodate a large amount ofstorage and give the multi-source content journal integration server 200access to a wide variety of content from a multitude of sources.

In the example of FIG. 2, the content in the content datastore 202 canbe “user-generated.” As used in this paper “user generated” contentrefers to content generated by users of an account associated with aservice used to manage the content datastore 202. The content can alsobe generated by a plurality of sources. For instance, the content in thecontent datastore 202 can be generated by a plurality of computers,mobile phones, cameras, camcorders, scanners, and digital devices.

In the example of FIG. 2, the layer datastore 204 stores editing layers.As used in this paper, an “editing layer” is an element of content thatcan be superimposed onto another item of content. An editing layer caninclude one or more of an image, an item of audio, an effect, an item ofvideo, animation, or an interactivity item that can accept user input.In this example, the layer datastore 204 resides within the multi-sourcecontent journal integration server 200. However, in some embodiments,the layer datastore 204 need not be within the multi-source contentjournal integration server 200 and may connect to the multi-sourcecontent journal integration server 200 by a communication interface suchas a network connection. In various embodiments, the layer datastore 204can also be distributed across multiple devices. In some embodiments,the layer datastore 204 can reside in cloud-based storage.Advantageously, distributing the layer datastore 204 across multipledevices can provide a user with a nearly unlimited number of editinglayers to apply to content. Further, distributing the layer datastore204 across multiple devices can also provide a user with proprietary oruser-generated editing layers that would otherwise be unavailable with alocally installed standalone editing package.

In the example of FIG. 2, the content marketplace engine 206, inoperation, can facilitate user-based exchange of user-generated journalcontent. In this example, the content marketplace engine 206 can indexspecific items of content in the content datastore 202 by owner. As usedherein, an “owner” of content can be a person or entity that owns therights to reproduce and/or publish the content. In some embodiments, theowner of items of content in the content datastore 202 can be thegenerator of the items of content. The owner of the items of content inthe datastore 202 can also be an assignee, an exclusive or anon-exclusive licensee, or other entity with rights to the items ofcontent. Consistent with this example, the content marketplace engine206 can associate a price the items of content in the content datastore202; the price may or may not be set by the owner of the items ofcontent. In some embodiments, the content marketplace engine 206 canestablish an offer process, which allows an entity wishing to use anitem of content an opportunity to offer a price for the item of content.The price can comprise a monetary value but can also comprise, invarious embodiments, an offer to license an item of content owned by theofferee. In this example, the content marketplace engine 206 can alsoinclude an acceptance process to allow the owner of the items of contentto accept the offer to use for the item of content. Further, in thisexample, if the offer is accepted, the content marketplace engine 206can facilitate the transfer of the item of content to the offeree forthe offeree's use. In various embodiments, the content marketplaceengine 206 can implement rights management processes so that the offereedoes not use the items of content beyond the scope of what the owner ofthe item of content desires.

In the example of FIG. 2, the journalism sourcing engine 208, inoperation, can provide to the multi-source content acquisition engine214 user-generated coverage of an event obtained from one or morecitizen journalists. As used in this paper, a “citizen journalist” is anentity that seeks to capture an aspect of the investigation or reportingof a place, an event, an occurrence, or thing. In a sense, a citizenjournalist is a generator of journal content and can be armed with, forinstance, a camera, a microphone, a video camera, or other device tocapture an attribute of journalistic investigation or reporting. In thisexample, the journalism sourcing engine 208 can receive searchparameters focused on the subject matter of journalism. For instance,the journalism sourcing engine 208 can receive keywords about “war,”“protests,” “Congressional action,” “federal agency decisions,” “courtopinions,” “local politics,” “news,” or can simply receive a zip code orlocation identifier to use to mine the content datastore 202 forjournalism related content. The journalism sourcing engine 208 can alsokeep an account of the generator of specific clips to ensure that thejournalism sourcing engine 208 can obtain content from different contentgenerators.

In the example of FIG. 2, the journalism sourcing engine 208 can provideto the multi-source content acquisition engine 214 a plurality ofcontent clips relating to a single event. For instance, the journalismsourcing engine 208 can provide to the multi-source content acquisitionengine 214 multiple images, multiple audio recordings, multiple video ormedia clips, or some combination thereof, relating to an event such as aprotest. In various embodiments, distinct items of content are generatedby distinct citizen journalists. Thus, the journalism sourcing engine208 can provide to the multi-source content acquisition engine 214 firstuser-generated content of an event obtained from a first citizenjournalist as well as second user-generated coverage of the eventobtained from a second citizen journalist. Accordingly, the journalismsourcing engine 208 can provide the multi-source content acquisitionengine 214 with multiple perspectives of a single event and canaccommodate the journalistic capture of the event by amateurs havingvarious perspectives of the event.

In the example of FIG. 2, the content scrapbooking engine 210, inoperation, can provide to the multi-source content acquisition engine214 user-generated social history content. As used in this paper,“social history” content is content associated with a person's familialor community history, lineage, or tradition in a region or during aperiod of time. In this example, the content scrapbooking engine 210 canreceive search parameters focused on the subject matter of socialhistory. For instance, the content scrapbooking engine 210 can receivekeywords about “community,” “tradition,” “births,” “obituaries,” “ritesof passage,” “religion,” and other keywords. The content scrapbookingengine 210 can also keep an account of the generator of specific clipsto ensure that the content scrapbooking engine 210 can obtain contentfrom different content generators.

In the example of FIG. 2, the content scrapbooking engine 210 canprovide to the multi-source content acquisition engine 214 a pluralityof content clips relating to a single event. For instance, the contentscrapbooking engine 210 can provide to the multi-source contentacquisition engine 214 multiple images, multiple audio recordings,multiple video or media clips, or some combination thereof, relating toan event such as a Bar Mitzvah. In various embodiments, distinct itemsof content are generated by distinct content generators. Accordingly,the content scrapbooking engine 210 can provide the multi-source contentacquisition engine 214 with multiple perspectives of a single event andcan accommodate the capture of the event by amateurs having variousperspectives of the event.

In the example of FIG. 2, the multi-source content search engine 212, inoperation, executes search queries and retrieves journal content fromthe content datastore 202. In some embodiments, the multi-source contentsearch engine 212 receives the search queries from the multi-sourcecontent acquisition engine 214 or other parts of the system. Themulti-source content search engine 212 can base the search queries onone or more search classes. In some embodiments, the search classes caninclude searches for the subject of journal content or the subject classof journal content. For instance, the multi-source content search engine212 can query the content datastore 202 for journal content relating toa final decision of a government agency, a local bake sale underway, anevent occurring at a financial exchange or a business, or a localauction.

In the example of FIG. 2, the search classes can include searches forspecific parameters of a scene that is requested. For instance, themulti-source content search engine 212 can query the content datastore202 for journal content captured at a particular time of day or havingspecific color parameters (e.g., blue and yellow hues). In someembodiments, the multi-source content search engine 212 can query thecontent datastore 202 for scenes shot from a particular vantage point,such as a birds'-eye view.

In the example of FIG. 2, the search classes can include searches forspecific content generators or specific groups or classes of contentgenerators. For instance, the multi-source content search engine 212 canquery the content datastore 202 for journal content captured by contentgenerators having particular demographic characteristics (e.g., betweenthe ages of 18-25 and male), content generators having particularassociations (e.g., who are part of specific friend networks orgeographically distributed networks), content generators who shareparticular general political views (e.g., liberal views) or particularpolitical views on a specific topic (e.g., are against abortion), andcontent generators of particular socio-economic statuses. Themulti-source content search engine 212 can also query the contentdatastore 202 for combinations of groups or classes of contentgenerators.

In this example, the search classes can include searches for specificjournal content parameters. For instance, the multi-source contentsearch engine 212 can limit search queries to images, to audio clips, tovideo clips, and to other forms of media. The multi-source contentsearch engine 212 can also limit search queries to files of specificlength or size. Based on the executed search queries to the contentdatastore 202, the multi-source content search engine 212 can providerelevant content to the multi-source content acquisition engine 214.

In the example of FIG. 2, the multi-source content acquisition engine214, in operation, provides a request to the multi-source content searchengine 212 search the content datastore 202 for subject-specificcontent. In some embodiments, the multi-source content acquisitionengine 214 can provide a character string corresponding to one or moreof search classes, specific scene parameters, specific contentgenerators, specific journal content parameters, and other searchparameters. The multi-source content acquisition engine 214 can, basedon the executed search, receive a set of relevant content from themulti-source content search engine 212. In various embodiments, themulti-source content acquisition engine 214 can also execute searchqueries using one or more of the journalism sourcing engine 208 and/orthe content scrapbooking engine 210.

In the example of FIG. 2, the multi-source content acquisition engine214, in operation, provides an instruction to launch an editor window todisplay a set of selectable content from user-generated contentgenerated by a plurality of sources and stored in the content datastore202. In the example of FIG. 2, the instruction from the multi-sourcecontent acquisition engine 214 can identify a particular client devicethat launches the editor window. In some embodiments, the instructioncan contain a network address such as an Internet Protocol (IP) or otheraddress of the client. The instruction can also contain a deviceidentifier such a Media Access Card (MAC) address of the client. Usingthe request, the multi-source content acquisition engine 214 canidentify a client using destination/network identifiers to launch aneditor window on the client.

In the example of FIG. 2, the instruction from the multi-source contentacquisition engine 214 can also identify parameters of a client hostapplication. The instruction can identify the operating system on theclient and can help the multi-source content acquisition engine 214determine whether to support the client operating system. The requestcan also identify the type and version of a host application, such as aweb browser, on the client. The request can further identify the screenresolution, processor speed, memory, and network speed of the clientdevice. Using these and other exemplary parameters, the multi-sourcecontent acquisition engine 214 can determine whether to support theclient's specific host application. The multi-source content acquisitionengine 214 can also use the request to supply an edit window withdefault parameters based on any of the OS or the host applicationparameters in the request. The multi-source content acquisition engine214 can further determine whether to recommend an upgraded operatingsystem or host application to the client.

In the example of FIG. 2, the instruction from the multi-source contentacquisition engine 214 help perform a “smart-bandwidth” determination.Using the client network speed, the multi-source content acquisitionengine 214 can calculate an optimal resolution of the content to providefor editing. For instance, if the request identifies a client connectedto a Digital Signal 3 (T3) connection or other relatively fast Internetconnection, the multi-source content acquisition engine 214 candetermine it is desirable to provide relatively high quality mediacontent (e.g., high definition (HD) media content) for editing. On theother hand, if the request identifies a client being connected to adial-up modem, the multi-source content acquisition engine 214 candetermine it is desirable to provide relatively low quality mediacontent for editing.

In the example of FIG. 2, the instruction from the multi-source contentacquisition engine 214 can include user account parameters. Further, insome embodiments, the multi-source content acquisition engine 214 candirect the edit window to the device identified for display. Themulti-source content acquisition engine 214 can characterize the editwindow with a resolution and other parameters that are supported by theclient device's operating system and host application. For instance, themulti-source content acquisition engine 214 can access applicationprogramming interfaces or other modules on the client to load an editwindow as a browser plug-in in a web browser running on the client. Themulti-source content acquisition engine 214 can also use the“smart-bandwidth” determination to limit the maximum resolution of theedit window. As a result, the multi-source content acquisition engine214 can launch a highly usable, easily portable content edit windowwhile installing no new applications on the client.

In the example of FIG. 2, the multi-source content acquisition engine214 can instruct the launched editor window to display a set ofselectable content from the relevant content that was retrieved from thecontent datastore 202. The instruction to display the set of selectablecontent can be based, wholly or in part, on the search parameters thatthe multi-source content acquisition engine 214 provided to themulti-source content search engine 212. In this example, the instructionto display can transfer to a client device an icon associated with eachitem of selectable content. The multi-source content acquisition engine214 can adjust the resolution of the transferred icons in order toaccommodate the bandwidth of the communication channel between themulti-source content acquisition engine 214 and the client. Forinstance, if it is determined that the client can handle higher qualitymedia content, the multi-source content acquisition engine 214 canprovide higher resolution icons corresponding to the selectable content.Conversely, if the client can only handle lower quality media content,the multi-source content acquisition engine 214 can provide lowerresolution icons corresponding to the selectable content. As a result,instructions from the multi-source content acquisition engine 214 candirect the editor window on the client to display a set ofuser-generated content generated by a plurality of sources.Advantageously, in some embodiments, the selectable content can becrowdsourced journal content.

In the example of FIG. 2, the multi-source content acquisition engine214 can provide the instruction to launch the editor window indirectlyto the client through the collaborative edit launch engine 216. One ofordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the multi-source contentacquisition engine 214 can also provide the instruction to launch theeditor window directly to the client.

In the example of FIG. 2, the collaborative edit launch engine 216, inoperation, can receive the instruction to launch the editor window fromthe multi-source content acquisition engine 214. In this example, thecollaborative edit launch engine 216 can translate the instruction fromthe multi-source content acquisition engine 214 into commands to launchmultiple editing windows on multiple clients, of which a first clientand second client are illustrated herein. For instance, thecollaborative edit launch engine 216 can launch a first editor window ona first edit client and a second editor window on a second edit clientbased on the instruction to launch the editor window. More specifically,the collaborative edit launch engine 216 can identify a first clientdevice and edit window parameters for an edit window to be displayed onthe first client device. The collaborative edit launch engine 216 canalso identify a second client device and edit window parameters for anedit window to be displayed on the second client device. In someembodiments, the collaborative edit launch engine 216 can providenetwork addresses and/or device identifiers of each of the first andsecond clients.

In the example of FIG. 2, the collaborative edit launch engine 216 canidentify parameters of client host applications running on each of thefirst client and the second client. For instance, the collaborative editlaunch engine 216 can identify the operating systems of the first andsecond clients, the type/version of the host applications on the firstand second clients, and the device parameters (e.g., the screenresolution, processor speed, memory, and network speed) of the first andsecond clients, In some embodiments, the collaborative edit launchengine 216 can supply to the first and second clients respective editwindows with default parameters based on any of the OS or the hostapplication parameters supplied. Further, the collaborative edit launchengine 216 can determine whether to recommend an upgraded operatingsystem or host application to the first client or the second client. Invarious embodiments, the collaborative edit launch engine 216 canperform a “smart-bandwidth” determination on each of the first clientand the second client and can determine the quality of content to bedelivered to each of the first client and the second client for editing.Further, the collaborative edit launch engine 216 can also employ useraccount parameters when directing the first edit client and the secondedit client to launch respective editing windows.

In the example of FIG. 2, the collaborative edit launch engine 216 caninstruct one or more of the first editing window and the second editingwindow to display a set of selectable content from the relevant contentthat was retrieved from the content datastore 202. The content displayedon the first editing window may or may not be the same as the contentdisplayed on the second editing window. The instruction to display theset of selectable content can be based, wholly or in part, on the searchparameters that the multi-source content acquisition engine 214 providedto the multi-source content search engine 212. In this example, theinstruction to display can transfer to one or more of the first clientdevice and the second client device an icon associated with each item ofselectable content. The collaborative edit launch engine 216 can adjustthe resolution of the transferred icons in one or more of the first editclient and the second edit client in order to accommodate the bandwidthof the communication channel between the multi-source contentacquisition engine 214 and these edit clients. Accordingly, thecollaborative edit launch engine 216 can facilitate collaborativeediting of content across multiple devices and clients. Advantageously,in some embodiments, the selectable content can be crowdsourced journalcontent.

In the example of FIG. 2, the multi-source content selection engine 218,in operation, can identify a set of selected content from the set ofselectable content. In some embodiments, the multi-source contentselection engine 218 can receive a selection of content from a hostapplication on the one or more clients configured to display selectablecontent from the multi-source content acquisition engine 214 (or thecollaborative edit launch engine 216). More specifically, user interfaceon the host applications can capture a user's identification of contentthat he or she desires to edit and/or publish. Based on the user'sidentified content, the multi-source content selection engine 218 canselect a subset of the selectable content that was provided to the oneor more clients. As used in this paper, the subset of identified contentcan be referred to as the “selected content.” Once the set of selectedcontent has been identified, the multi-source content selection engine218 can provide the set of selected content to the integrated contentarrangement engine 220.

In the example of FIG. 2, the multi-source content selection engine 218can receive timeline information from the one or more clients. As usedin this paper, timeline information comprises instructions on how thespecific items of selected content are to be arranged in a sequence. Insome embodiments, the timeline information can comprise an ordered listof the specific items of selected content. However, the timelineinformation can also comprise the relative lengths of items of selectedcontent or other sequencing information. In the example of FIG. 2, themulti-source content selection engine 218 can transmit the timelineinformation to the integrated content arrangement engine 220.

In the example of FIG. 2, the integrated content arrangement engine 220,in operation, arranges the set of selected content into a multi-sourcedjournal content sequence. As used in this paper, a journal contentsequence comprises items of journal content arranged in an sequence, anorder, or a series. A multi-sourced journal content sequence comprises ajournal content sequence made up of items of journal content taken froma plurality of sources, i.e., generated from a plurality of contentgenerators. In this example, the integrated content arrangement engine220 can receive a set of selected content from the multi-source contentselection engine 218. Based on the timeline information from themulti-source content selection engine 218, the integrated contentarrangement engine 220 can place items in the set of selected content(received from the multi-source content selection engine 218) into amulti-sourced journal content sequence. In some embodiments, theintegrated content arrangement engine 220 can also add defaulttransition effects, such as an automatic transition, between specificitems of selected content to ensure attributes such as smoothtransitions.

In the example of FIG. 2, the layer integration engine 222, inoperation, applies an editing layer from the layer datastore 204 to aportion of the multi-sourced journal content sequence. As discussed inthis paper, an “editing layer” is an element of content that can besuperimposed onto another item of content. An editing layer can includeone or more of an image, an item of audio, an effect, an item of video,animation, or an interactivity item that can accept user input. In someembodiments, the layer integration engine 222 can apply the editinglayer to the multi-sourced journal content sequence based on aninstruction to superimpose the editing layer. An instruction tosuperimpose an editing layer can include an identifier of specificediting layers and layer datastore 204 access parameters (such as layerdatastore 204 usernames and passwords). In the illustrated example, theidentifier of the editing layer can identify the editing layer by name,by the editing layer address in the layer datastore 204, or by theediting layer relationship to other layers in the layer datastore 204.The instruction to superimpose the editing layer can also include one ormore API calls that obtain the editing layer from the layer datastore204.

In the example of FIG. 2, the instruction to superimpose can includedirecting the placement of the editing layer over at least a portion ofthe multi-sourced journal content sequence. The instruction tosuperimpose can therefore include an instruction to assist in editingthe multi-sourced journal content sequence.

In the example of FIG. 2, the instruction to superimpose the editinglayer can also include performing one or more API calls to the editorwindow in the client. The instruction to superimpose the editing layercould also reference a portion of the timeline of the multi-sourcedjournal content sequence for which the editing layer is to be applied.For instance, the instruction could include superimposing textualcredits for ten seconds to start the multi-sourced journal contentsequence. The instruction to superimpose could also identify a visualportion of the multi-sourced journal content sequence for which theediting layer is to be applied. For example, the instruction tosuperimpose could include placing textual credits on the bottomleft-hand quadrant of the multi-sourced journal content sequence.

In the example of FIG. 2, the editing layers could include video layers.Video layers are video clips that can be added to portions of themulti-sourced journal content sequence. For instance, a film editor maywish to add video to a corner of the multi-sourced journal contentsequence so that the video appears integrated into the multi-sourcedjournal content sequence. The editing layers could include transitionlayers. Transition layers are video clips or images used to transitionbetween scenes in the multi-sourced journal content sequence. Forinstance, a film editor may wish to recreate fading or wiping effectscommonly seen in films. The editing layers could include sound layerssuch as audio effects or soundtracks for parts of the multi-sourcedjournal content sequence. The editing layers could further includegraphical layers. Graphical layers are animated layers that film editorscan use to create graphical effects for parts of the multi-sourcedjournal content sequence. Moreover, the editing layers could includeuser-specific media layers, which can correspond to video, audio,animated, and other content created or uploaded by a film editor orother users. FIGS. 9-12 show the video layers, transition layers, soundlayers, graphical layers, and user-specific media layers.

In the example of FIG. 2, the instruction to superimpose the editinglayer can associate the editing layer with a destination edit layerclassification on the multi-sourced journal content sequence. Thus,based on an instruction, the layer integration engine 222 can add anediting layer to any of the destination edit layer classificationsassociated with the multi-sourced journal content sequence.

In the example of FIG. 2, the instruction to superimpose the editinglayer can control effects relating to each editing layer. Theinstruction to superimpose the editing layer can control, for instance,whether a specific editing layer is to fade in or out. The instructionto superimpose the editing layer can also control the transparency andother attributes of a specific editing layer.

To apply the editing layer onto the existing layers of the multi-sourcedjournal content sequence, the layer integration engine 222 modifies themulti-sourced journal content sequence to include the material from theediting layer. For instance, if the editing layer was a video layer, themulti-sourced journal content sequence would include the video materialfrom the editing layer. The layer integration engine 222 can similarlyadd audio, graphics, and other effects to the multi-sourced journalcontent sequence.

In the example of FIG. 2, the collaborative edit aggregation engine 224,in operation, can provide to the layer aggregation engine 222 aplurality of instructions. In some embodiments, the collaborative editaggregation engine 224 can receive the instructions from a plurality ofclients that are remote to the multi-source journal content integrationserver 200. More specifically, a first remote source can provide to thecollaborative edit aggregation engine 224 a first instruction to apply afirst editing layer from the layer datastore 204 to a portion of themulti-sourced journal content sequence. Further, a second remote sourcecan provide to the collaborative edit aggregation engine 224 a secondinstruction to apply a second editing layer from the layer datastore 204to the same or another portion of the multi-sourced journal contentsequence. The collaborative edit aggregation engine 224 can provide thefirst and second instructions to the collaborative layer placementengine 226.

In the example of FIG. 2, the collaborative layer placement engine 226,in operation, can provide to the layer integration engine 222 aplurality of editing layers from a plurality of editing windows. In someembodiments, the collaborative layer placement engine 226 can provide tothe layer integration engine 222 a first editing layer received from thefirst editor window and a second editing layer received from the secondeditor window. The collaborative layer placement engine 226 can receivethe first and second editing layers from the collaborative editaggregation engine 224. The collaborative layer placement engine 226 caninstruct the layer integration engine 222 can add an editing layer toany of the destination edit layer classifications associated with themulti-sourced journal content sequence.

To illustrate the foregoing examples further, suppose a first remoteclient comprises a computer that is at a location remote from themulti-source journal content integration server 200, and a second remoteclient comprises a mobile phone with Internet capabilities that is at alocation remote from both the multi-source journal content integrationserver 200 and the first remote client. Consistent with the example ofFIG. 2, the first remote client (i.e., the computer) can provide aninstruction to the collaborative edit aggregation engine 224 to apply anediting layer (e.g., placing a clip of video in a corner) for the firstten seconds of the multi-sourced journal content sequence. In thisexample, the second remote client (i.e., the mobile phone) can providean instruction to the collaborative edit aggregation engine 224 to applyanother layer (e.g., textual credits for an introduction) for the firstten seconds of the multi-sourced journal content sequence. In thisexample, the collaborative edit aggregation engine 224 can instruct thecollaborative layer placement engine 226 to apply both the video fromthe first remote source and the text from the second remote source tothe specified portion of the multi-sourced journal content sequence. Thecollaborative layer placement engine 226 can translate these commands(from different remote sources) into a format that the layer integrationengine 222 can understand. In this example, the layer integration engine222 can superimpose both the video and the text onto the specifiedportion of the multi-sourced journal content sequence. Accordingly, boththe first remote client and the second remote client are able tocollaboratively edit the multi-sourced journal content sequence eventhough they are remote to one another and remote to the multi-sourcejournal content integration server 200.

In the example of FIG. 2, the multi-source content launch engine 228, inoperation, can provide an instruction to display an integratedmulti-sourced journal content sequence that includes the multi-sourcedjournal content sequence and the editing layer in the editor window. Insome embodiments, the multi-source content launch engine 228 caninterface with the editor window and provide an integrated multi-sourcedjournal content sequence which includes the original set of content andapplied editing layers in the editor window. The instruction to displaythe integrated multi-sourced journal content sequence could comprise aninstruction to begin streaming the integrated multi-sourced journalcontent sequence or otherwise playing the integrated multi-sourcedjournal content sequence in the host application. The multi-sourcecontent launch engine 228 can limit the viewing quality of theintegrated multi-sourced journal content sequence until the multi-sourcecontent launch engine 228 has determined that the entity editing theintegrated multi-sourced journal content sequence has creative rights tothe multi-sourced journal content sequence and the editing layersapplied thereon. In some embodiments, the multi-source content launchengine 228 can apply a watermark or other seal to render the integratedmulti-sourced journal content sequence unpublishable until themulti-source content launch engine 228 has determined that the entityediting the integrated multi-sourced journal content sequence hascreative rights to the multi-sourced journal content sequence and theediting layers applied thereon. Consequently, the multi-source contentlaunch engine 228 can allow the one or more client applications todisplay the integrated multi-sourced journal content sequence whilecollaboratively editing from a plurality of remote sources.

In the example of FIG. 2, the multi-source channel publication engine230, in operation, can create a multi-sourced channel comprising theintegrated multi-sourced journal content sequence. In some embodiments,the multi-source channel publication engine 230 can interface with oneor more network- or Internet-based streaming media accounts. Forexample, the multi-source channel publication engine 230 can login to anInternet-based streaming media account (such as Youtube) using a username and password associated with the account. The multi-source channelpublication engine 230 can further access one or more APIs of thestreaming media account to publish the integrated multi-sourced journalcontent sequence to the network- or Internet-based streaming mediaaccount. In various embodiments, the multi-source channel publicationengine 230 can translate the integrated multi-sourced journal contentsequence into a digital television format and can publish the integratedmulti-sourced journal content sequence using a digital broadcastmechanism. The multi-source channel publication engine 230 can limit thepublication of the integrated multi-sourced journal content sequence bywatermarking or lowering the resolution of the integrated multi-sourcedjournal content sequence until it is established that the publisher hasthe creative rights to the integrated multi-sourced journal contentsequence.

FIG. 3 shows a diagram of an example of a multi-source journal contentintegration client 300. In the example of FIG. 3, the multi-sourcejournal content integration client 300 includes a web browsing engine302, a content editor display engine 304, a client-based contentplacement instruction engine 306, a client-based layer placementinstruction engine 308, a superimposable layer display engine 310, atimeline display engine 312, and a multi-source content display engine314. In this example, the multi-source journal content integrationclient 300 includes a local datastore 316 and a local storage buffer318. The discussion below provides a description of the functionality ofeach of these engines and datastores.

In the example of FIG. 3, the web browsing engine 302, in operationallows a user of the multi-source journal content integration client 300to access the Internet. In this example, the web browsing engine 302 isincorporated into an Internet browser. Existing Internet browsersinclude browsers manufactured by Microsoft®, Google®, Mozilla®, Apple®,and others. The web browsing engine 302 can be incorporated intopersonal computer, a mobile device, or other computing client.

In the example of FIG. 3, the web browsing engine 302 can run a hostapplication. That is, the web browsing engine 302 can execute a browserplug-in in the Internet browser installed on the multi-source journalcontent integration client 300. The browser plug-in can provide aninterface such as a graphical user interface (GUI) for a user to accessthe server-based content editing services. The browser plug-in caninclude a GUI to display content and layers on server datastores. Forinstance, the browser plug-in can have display capabilities like thecapabilities provided by proprietary commercially available plug-inslike Adobe® Flash Player, QuickTime®, and Microsoft Silverlight®. Thebrowser plug-in can also include an interface to executeserver-initiated functionalities on server based engines.

In the example of FIG. 3, the content editor display engine 304, inoperation, can launch an editor window for display on the multi-sourcejournal content integration client 300. The editor window can bedisplayed in the host application on the multi-source journal contentintegration client 300. To launch and display the editor window, thecontent editor display engine 304 can call one or more APIs of the webbrowser plug-in, thereby allowing display of an editor window.

In the example of FIG. 3, the client-based content placement instructionengine 306, in operation, places a link to the content in the editorwindow. The client-based content placement engine 306 receivesparameters, such as the server-address of the content to be placed,resolution, and playback speed. Based on these parameters, theclient-based content placement instruction engine 306 places a link tothe content (at the provided resolution, playback speed, etc.) in theeditor window.

In the example of FIG. 3, the client-based layer placement instructionengine 308, in operation, places a link to an editing layer over thelink to the content. Placing this link creates, on the server, amulti-source journal content sequence on the server.

In the example of FIG. 3, the superimposable layer display engine 310,in operation, displays links to editing layers as well as links todestination edit layer classifications in the edit window. Further, inthis example, the timeline display engine 312, in operation, displays alink to the compilation timeline in the edit window. Additionally, themulti-source content display engine 314 can place a link to amulti-source journal content sequence in the edit window. As a result,the edit window can display a link to the multi-source journal contentsequence, links to editing layers, and links to destination edit layerclassifications. A user of the multi-source journal content integrationclient 300 has access to high-quality professional film editing ofjournalism pieces and documentaries without needing to install anyediting software on the multi-source journal content integration client300.

In the example of FIG. 3, the local datastore 316 can locally store anydata on the multi-source journal content integration client 300. Alsoshown in FIG. 3 is the local storage buffer 318, which can buffercontent to optimize editing and playback.

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart 400 of an example of a method 400 for providingjournalism or video scrapbooking content. In some implementations, themodules of the flowchart 400 and other flowcharts described in thispaper are reordered to a permutation of the illustrated order of modulesor reorganized for parallel execution. In the example of FIG. 4, theflowchart 400 can start at decision point 402, whether to get citizenjournalism content. If the answer to the decision point 402 is yes, theflowchart 400 proceeds to module 404, providing to the content datastorefirst user-generated coverage of an event obtained from a first citizenjournalist. The flowchart 400 can further proceed to module 406,providing to the content datastore second user-generated coverage of theevent obtained from a second citizen journalist. In the example of FIG.4, the flowchart can continue to step 412, which is further discussedbelow.

If the answer to the decision point 402 is no, the flowchart 400 canproceed to decision point 408, whether to get video scrapbookingcontent. If the answer to the decision point 408 is yes, the flowchart400 can proceed to module 410, providing to the content datastoreuser-generated social history content. In this example, the flowchart400 can proceed to module 412, getting other necessary content andproviding to the content datastore the user-generated content. In theexample of FIG. 4, the flowchart 400 then proceeds to transition pointA.

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of an example of a method 500 for integrating amulti-source journal content compilation. The flowchart 500 starts attransition point A and continues to module 504, providing an instructionto launch an editor window to display a set of selectable content fromthe user-generated content. In the example of FIG. 5, the flowchart 500continues to module 506, identifying a set of selected content from theset of selectable content. The flowchart 500 can continue to module 508,arranging a set of selected content into a multi-sourced contentsequence. The flowchart 500 can then continue to step 510, applying alayer from the layer datastore to a portion of the multi-sourced contentsequence. The flowchart 500 can then continue to step 512, providing aninstruction to display an integrated multi-sourced content sequenceincluding the multi-sourced content sequence and the layer in the editorwindow. In the example of FIG. 5, the flowchart 500 can continue to step514, creating a multi-sourced content channel comprising the integratedmulti-sourced content sequence.

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of an example of a method 600 for integrating amulti-source journal content compilation using multiple remote editingsources. In the example of FIG. 6, the flowchart 600 starts attransition point A and continues to module 604, providing an instructionto launch an editor window to display a set of selectable content fromthe user-generated content. The flowchart 600 continues to module 606,identifying a set of selected content from the set of selectablecontent. The flowchart 600 can continue to module 608, arranging the setof selected content into a multi-sourced content sequence. The flowchart600 can then continue to module 610, providing a first instruction froma first remote source to apply a first layer to the portion of themulti-sourced content sequence. The flowchart 600 can then continue tomodule 612, providing a second instruction from a second remote sourceto apply a second layer to the portion of the multi-sourced contentsequence. The flowchart 600 can continue to module 614, providing aninstruction to display an integrated multi-sourced content sequenceincluding the multi-sourced content sequence, the first layer, and thesecond layer, in the editor window.

FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of an example of a method 700 for integrating amulti-source journal content compilation using multiple editing windows.In the example of FIG. 7, the flowchart 700 starts at transition point Aand continues to module 704, providing an instruction to launch aneditor window to display a set of selectable content from theuser-generated content. The flowchart 700 can continue to module 706,identifying a set of selected content from the set of selectablecontent. The flowchart 700 can then continue to module 708, arrangingthe set of selected content into a multi-sourced content sequence. Theflowchart 700 can then continue to module 710, providing a first layerreceived from a first editor window. The flowchart 700 can then continueto module 712, providing a second layer received from a second editorwindow. The flowchart 700 can continue to module 714, providing aninstruction to display an integrated multi-sourced content sequenceincluding the multi-sourced content sequence, the first layer, and thesecond layer in the editor window. The flowchart 700 can continue tomodule 716, creating a multi-sourced content channel comprising theintegrated multi-sourced content sequence.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a system on which techniques described inthis paper can be implemented. The computer system 800 can be aconventional computer system that can be used as a client computersystem, such as a wireless client or a workstation, or a server computersystem. The computer system 800 includes a computer 802, I/O devices804, and a display device 806. The computer 802 includes a processor808, a communications interface 810, memory 812, display controller 814,non-volatile storage 816, and I/O controller 818. The computer 802 maybe coupled to or include the I/O devices 804 and display device 806.

The computer 802 interfaces to external systems through thecommunications interface 810, which may include a modem or networkinterface. It will be appreciated that the communications interface 810can be considered to be part of the computer system 800 or a part of thecomputer 802. The communications interface 810 can be an analog modem,ISDN modem, cable modem, token ring interface, satellite transmissioninterface (e.g. “direct PC”), or other interfaces for coupling acomputer system to other computer systems.

The processor 808 may be, for example, a conventional microprocessorsuch as an Intel Pentium microprocessor or Motorola power PCmicroprocessor. The memory 812 is coupled to the processor 808 by a bus820. The memory 812 can be Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) and canalso include Static RAM (SRAM). The bus 820 couples the processor 808 tothe memory 812, also to the non-volatile storage 816, to the displaycontroller 814, and to the I/O controller 818.

The I/O devices 804 can include a keyboard, disk drives, printers, ascanner, and other input and output devices, including a mouse or otherpointing device. The display controller 814 may control in theconventional manner a display on the display device 806, which can be,for example, a cathode ray tube (CRT) or liquid crystal display (LCD).The display controller 814 and the I/O controller 818 can be implementedwith conventional well known technology.

The non-volatile storage 816 is often a magnetic hard disk, an opticaldisk, or another form of storage for large amounts of data. Some of thisdata is often written, by a direct memory access process, into memory812 during execution of software in the computer 802. One of skill inthe art will immediately recognize that the terms “machine-readablemedium” or “computer-readable medium” includes any type of storagedevice that is accessible by the processor 808 and also encompasses acarrier wave that encodes a data signal.

The computer system 800 is one example of many possible computer systemswhich have different architectures. For example, personal computersbased on an Intel microprocessor often have multiple buses, one of whichcan be an I/O bus for the peripherals and one that directly connects theprocessor 808 and the memory 812 (often referred to as a memory bus).The buses are connected together through bridge components that performany necessary translation due to differing bus protocols.

Network computers are another type of computer system that can be usedin conjunction with the teachings provided herein. Network computers donot usually include a hard disk or other mass storage, and theexecutable programs are loaded from a network connection into the memory812 for execution by the processor 808. A Web TV system, which is knownin the art, is also considered to be a computer system, but it may lacksome of the features shown in FIG. 8, such as certain input or outputdevices. A typical computer system will usually include at least aprocessor, memory, and a bus coupling the memory to the processor.

Some portions of the detailed description are presented in terms ofalgorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bitswithin a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions andrepresentations are the means used by those skilled in the dataprocessing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their workto others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally,conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of operations leading to adesired result. The operations are those requiring physicalmanipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily,these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capableof being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwisemanipulated. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasonsof common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements,symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like.

It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar termsare to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and aremerely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unlessspecifically stated otherwise as apparent from the following discussion,it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizingterms such as “processing” or “computing” or “calculating” or“determining” or “displaying” or the like, refer to the action andprocesses of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device,that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical(electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers andmemories into other data similarly represented as physical quantitieswithin the computer system memories or registers or other suchinformation storage, transmission or display devices.

Techniques described in this paper relate to apparatus for performingthe operations. The apparatus can be specially constructed for therequired purposes, or it can comprise a general purpose computerselectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored inthe computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a computerreadable storage medium, such as, but is not limited to, read-onlymemories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs, EEPROMs,magnetic or optical cards, any type of disk including floppy disks,optical disks, CD-ROMs, and magnetic-optical disks, or any type of mediasuitable for storing electronic instructions, and each coupled to acomputer system bus.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a multi-sourced journal content sequenceclient web browser screenshot 900. In the example of FIG. 9, thescreenshot 900 shows an editor window incorporated into an internetbrowser, here the Internet Explorer web browser from Microsoft®. Theeditor window displays content, namely, a video for editing in the upperright hand corner. The editor window displays a series of editingeffects. In this example, editing effects include “Videos,”“Transitions, “Sounds,” Graphics,” and “My media files.” In thisexample, a user has selected the “My media files” set of editing layersand sees a set of content files, i.e., the video files “VIDEO0015,”“VIDEO0062,” “VIDEO0056,” and “VIDEO0057.” In this example, each of thecontent files “VIDEO0015,” “VIDEO0062,” “VIDEO0056,” and “VIDEO0057” canbe sourced from different citizen journalists and can relate to a singleevent. For instance, the content files here can relate to a toddler'sclub meeting occurring locally. In the example of FIG. 9, the contentfiles “VIDEO0015,” “VIDEO0062,” “VIDEO0056,” and “VIDEO0057” have beenarranged at various points along the timeline, as shown in the“Video/image” editing layer. In the example of FIG. 9, the screenshot900 shows that a user is adding layers to or otherwise editing thecontent file IMAG0597 showing a set of post-it notes on a store windowto commemorate a memorial of an infamous computer pioneer; it is seen asa local art exhibit and a matter of public interest. The screenshot 900further shows the addition of text at the point 00:08:07 in thetimeline, producing a scene title for integrated journal content.

FIG. 10 shows a multi-sourced journal content sequence client webbrowser screenshot 1000. In the example of FIG. 10, the screenshot 1000shows that a user is editing or otherwise adding layers to the contentfile IMAG0599, which shows a local toddler's club meeting.

FIG. 11 shows a multi-sourced journal content sequence client webbrowser screenshot 1100. In the example of FIG. 11, the screenshot 1110shows that a user is editing or otherwise adding layers to the contentfile IMAG0601, which shows a local toddler's club meeting.

FIG. 12 shows a multi-sourced journal content sequence client webbrowser screenshot 1200. In the example of FIG. 12, the screenshot 1200shows that a user is editing or otherwise adding layers to the contentfile VIDEO0056, which shows a something occurring after the localtoddler's club meeting.

As disclosed in this paper, embodiments allow editors to createprofessional productions based on a wide variety of amateur andprofessional content gathered from numerous sources. Embodiments freeeditors from using only footage generated at large studios andmonopolized by a few content generators. Embodiments also let individualcontent generators contribute their creative audio, images, and videowithout unrestricted release of their ideas and rights into the publicdomain. By facilitating the exchange of amateur and professional contentfrom a wide variety of sources and giving editors professional, easilyaccessible editing tools, embodiments let editors create vivid contentthat is robust and not limited to one of a few sets of centralizednarratives.

Although the foregoing embodiments have been described in some detailfor purposes of clarity of understanding, the invention is notnecessarily limited to the details provided.

We claim:
 1. A system, comprising: a processor; a content datastore; alayer datastore distributed across a plurality of servers to store aplurality of editing layers; a multi-source content acquisition enginecoupled to the content datastore; a multi-source content selectionengine coupled to the multi-source content acquisition engine; anintegrated content arrangement engine coupled to the multi-sourcecontent selection engine; a collaborative edit aggregation enginecoupled to the layer datastore; a collaborative layer placement enginecoupled to the collaborative edit aggregation engine; a layerintegration engine coupled to the collaborative layer placement engine,the collaborative edit aggregation engine, and the integrated contentarrangement engine; a multi-source content launch engine coupled to thelayer integration engine; a collaborative edit launch engine coupled tothe multi-source content acquisition engine; wherein, in operation: themulti-source content acquisition engine provides a first instruction tolaunch an editor window to display a set of selectable content generatedfrom user-generated content, the user-generated content being generatedby a plurality of remote sources and stored in the content datastore,each of the plurality of remote sources comprising a digital deviceconfigured to provide the user-generated content to the system over anetwork connection; the multi-source content selection engine identifiesa set of selected content from the set of selectable content; theintegrated content arrangement engine arranges the set of selectedcontent into a multi-sourced journal content sequence; the collaborativeedit aggregation engine provides an editing layer from the layerdatastore to the collaborative layer placement engine according toinstructions received from a first remote source of the plurality ofremote sources; the collaborative layer placement engine: provides theediting layer, a portion of the multi-sourced journal content sequenceassociated with an item of content included as part of the set ofselected content and used to display the editing layer, and at least aportion of a sequence of the multi-sourced journal content sequence inwhich to display the editing layer, to the layer integration engineaccording to the instructions received from the first remote source; andprovides to the layer integration engine a plurality of instructionscomprising: a second instruction from a second remote source of theplurality of remote sources to apply a first layer from the layerdatastore to the portion of the multi-sourced journal content sequence,and a third instruction from a third remote source of the plurality ofremote sources to apply a second layer from the layer datastore to theportion of the multi-sourced journal content sequence; the layerintegration engine applies the editing layer to the portion of themulti-sourced journal content sequence during the at least a portion ofthe sequence of the multi-sourced journal content sequence byassociating the editing layer with an edit layer classificationassociated with the multi-sourced journal content sequence, to allow thesecond remote source and the third remote source to collaboratively editthe multi-sourced journal content sequence; the multi-source contentlaunch engine provides, according to the application of the editinglayer to the portion of the multi-sourced journal content sequence, afourth instruction to display an integrated multi-sourced journalcontent sequence including the multi-sourced journal content sequenceand the editing layer displayed superimposed on the portion of themulti-sourced journal content sequence in the editor window during theat least the portion of the sequence of the multi-sourced journalcontent sequence; the collaborative edit launch engine: receives thefirst instruction to launch the editor window from the multi-sourcecontent acquisition engine; launches a first editor window on a firstremote edit client associated with the third remote source, the firsteditor window displaying the multi-sourced journal content sequenceduring the at least the portion of the sequence of the multi-sourcedjournal content sequence, the launching the first editor window beingbased on the first instruction to launch the editor window; launches asecond editor window on a second remote edit client associated with thefourth remote source, the second editor window displaying themulti-sourced journal content sequence during the at least the portionof the sequence of the multi-sourced journal content sequence, thelaunching the second editor window being based on the first instructionto launch the editor window; the first instruction to launch the editorwindow from the multi-source content acquisition engine facilitating thecollaborative edit of the multi-sourced journal content sequence.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, further comprising a multi-source channel publicationengine coupled to the layer integration engine, wherein, in operation,the multi-source channel publication engine creates a multi-sourcecontent channel comprising the integrated multi-sourced journal contentsequence.
 3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a journalismsourcing engine coupled to the multi-source content acquisition engineand the content datastore; wherein, in operation, the journalismsourcing engine provides to the multi-source content acquisition engine:first user-generated coverage of an event obtained from a first citizenjournalist; second user-generated coverage of the event obtained from asecond citizen journalist.
 4. The system of claim 1, further comprisinga content marketplace engine coupled to the content datastore, wherein,in operation, the content marketplace engine facilitates user-basedexchange of user-generated journal content.
 5. The system of claim 1,further comprising a content scrapbooking engine coupled to themulti-source content acquisition engine and the content datastore,wherein, in operation, the content scrapbooking engine provides to thecontent datastore user-generated social history content.
 6. A method,comprising: using a multi-source content acquisition engine to provide afirst instruction to launch an editor window to display a set ofselectable content generated from user-generated content, theuser-generated content being generated by a plurality of remote sourcesand stored in a content datastore; configuring a multi-source contentselection engine to identify a set of selected content from the set ofselectable content; using an integrated content arrangement engine toarrange the set of selected content into a multi-sourced journal contentsequence; receiving instructions from a first remote source of theplurality of remote sources; providing an editing layer from a layerdatastore distributed across a plurality of servers to provide anunconstrained number of editing layers, a portion of the multi-sourcedjournal content sequence associated with an item of content included aspart of the set of selected content and used to display the editinglayer, and at least a portion of a sequence of the multi-sourced journalcontent sequence in which to display the editing layer, to a layerintegration engine according to the instructions received from the firstremote source; using a collaborative edit aggregation engine to provideto the layer integration engine a plurality of instructions comprising:a second instruction from a second remote source of the plurality ofremote sources to apply a first layer from the layer datastore to theportion of the multi-sourced journal content sequence; a thirdinstruction from a third remote source of the plurality of remotesources to apply a second layer from the layer datastore to the portionof the multi-sourced journal content sequence; using the layerintegration engine to apply the editing layer from the layer datastoreto the portion of the multi-sourced journal content sequence during theat least a portion of the sequence of the multi-sourced journal contentsequence by associating the editing layer with an edit layerclassification associated with the multi-sourced journal contentsequence, to allow the second remote source and the third remote sourceto collaboratively edit the multi-sourced journal content sequence;providing, according to the application of the editing layer to theportion of the multi-sourced journal content sequence, a fourthinstruction to display, using a multi-source content launch engine, anintegrated multi-sourced journal content sequence including themulti-sourced journal content sequence and the editing layer displayedsuperimposed on the portion of the multi source multi-sourced journalcontent sequence in the editor window during the at least the portion ofthe sequence of the multi source multi-sourced journal content sequence;using a collaborative edit launch engine to: receive the firstinstruction to launch the editor window from the multi-source contentacquisition engine; launch a first editor window on a first remote editclient associated with the third remote source, the first editor windowdisplaying the multi-sourced journal content sequence during the atleast the portion of the sequence of the multi-sourced journal contentsequence, the launching the first editor window being based on the firstinstruction to launch the editor window; launch a second editor windowon a second remote edit client associated with the fourth remote source,the second editor window displaying the multi-sourced journal contentsequence during the at least the portion of the sequence of themulti-sourced journal content sequence, the launching the second editorwindow being based on the first instruction to launch the editor window;the first instruction to launch the editor window from the multi-sourcecontent acquisition engine facilitating the collaborative edit of themulti-sourced journal content sequence.
 7. The method of claim 6,further comprising using a multi-source channel publication engine tocreate a multi-sourced content channel comprising the integratedmulti-sourced journal content sequence.
 8. The method of claim 6,further comprising: using a multi-source content search engine toreceive a request from the multi-source content selection engine tosearch the content datastore for subject-specific content; using themulti-source content search engine to provide the subject-specificcontent to the multi-source content selection engine.
 9. The method ofclaim 6, further comprising using a collaborative layer placement engineto provide to the layer integration engine a first layer received from afirst editor window and a second layer received from a second editorwindow.
 10. The method of claim 6, further comprising using a journalismsourcing engine to provide to the multi-source content acquisitionengine: first user-generated coverage of an event obtained from a firstcitizen journalist; second user-generated coverage of the event obtainedfrom a second citizen journalist.
 11. The method of claim 6, furthercomprising facilitating user-based exchange of user-generated journalcontent.
 12. The method of claim 6, further comprising using a contentscrapbooking engine to provide to the multi-source content acquisitionengine user-generated social history content.
 13. A system comprising:one or more physical processors programmed with one or more computerprogram instructions which, when executed, cause the one or morephysical processors to: provide a first instruction to launch an editorwindow to display a set of selectable content generated fromuser-generated content, the user-generated content being generated by aplurality of remote sources and stored in a content datastore; identifya set of selected content from the set of selectable content; arrangethe set of selected content into a multi-sourced journal contentsequence; receive instructions from a first remote source of theplurality of remote sources; provide an editing layer from a layerdatastore distributed across a plurality of servers to provide anunconstrained number of editing layers, a portion of the multi-sourcedjournal content sequence associated with an item of content included aspart of the set of selected content and used to display the editinglayer, and at least a portion of a sequence of the multi-sourced journalcontent sequence in which to display the editing layer, to a layerintegration engine according to the instructions received from the firstremote source; provide to the layer integration engine a plurality ofinstructions comprising: a second instruction from a second remotesource of the plurality of remote sources to apply a first layer fromthe layer datastore to the portion of the multi-sourced journal contentsequence; a third instruction from a third remote source of theplurality of remote sources to apply a second layer from the layerdatastore to the portion of the multi-sourced journal content sequence;apply the editing layer from the layer datastore to the portion of themulti-sourced journal content sequence during the at least a portion ofthe sequence of the multi-sourced journal content sequence byassociating the editing layer with an edit layer classificationassociated with the multi-sourced journal content sequence, to allow thesecond remote source and the third remote source to collaboratively editthe multi-sourced journal content sequence; provide, according to theapplication of the editing layer to the portion of the multi-sourcedjournal content sequence, a fourth instruction to display, using amulti-source content launch engine, an integrated multi-sourced journalcontent sequence including the multi-sourced journal content sequenceand the editing layer displayed superimposed on the portion of themulti-sourced journal content sequence in the editor window during theat least the portion of the sequence of the multi-sourced journalcontent sequence; receive, from a collaborative edit launch engine, thefirst instruction to launch the editor window from the multi-sourcecontent acquisition engine; launch, from the collaborative edit launchengine, a first editor window on a first remote edit client associatedwith the third remote source, the first editor window displaying themulti-sourced journal content sequence during the at least the portionof the sequence of the multi-sourced journal content sequence, thelaunching the first editor window being based on the first instructionto launch the editor window; launch, from the collaborative edit launchengine, a second editor window on a second remote edit client associatedwith the fourth remote source, the second editor window displaying themulti-sourced journal content sequence during the at least the portionof the sequence of the multi-sourced journal content sequence, thelaunching the second editor window being based on the first instructionto launch the editor window; the first instruction to launch the editorwindow from the multi-source content acquisition engine facilitating thecollaborative edit of the multi-sourced journal content sequence.